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Vale employee smiling in green landscape. She is wearing a green Vale
uniform, goggles, helmet and ear plugs. Visual wave artifact Vale
An employee sits in an electronic chair, operating remote equipment through two screens.
Photographer: Ricardo Teles
A Vale employee is holding an object in her hands. She is wearing a green blouse, hanging badge, and a watch and a ring.
Photographer: Marcelo Coelho

At Vale, innovation is one of the main pillars for achieving our purpose.

Our production is increasingly automated, reducing people's exposure to risk and increasing the agility and productivity of our operations. 

How we are building the future 

Our production is automated

We have sought to involve fewer people in risky activities. The operation gains agility and productivity grows. Major decisions are supported by artificial intelligence systems. 
Vale employee sits in a control room with several monitors. She looks closely at one of the screens. Vale employee sits in a control room with several monitors. She looks closely at one of the screens. Photographer: Vitor Nogueira
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We use technology to redesign our ways of working. We eliminate risk scenarios to become a benchmark in safety and risk management. 

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We have a complete view of the value chain and we are integrated with our customers to create differentiated products and services. 

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Teams collaborate remotely, creating a more accessible environment and attracting a more diverse workforce. 

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We seek to transform people and digitize processes through new ways of working, promoting agility, collaboration and integration. 

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Renewable energies drive our business, we will develop and use new mining and processing technologies to promote sustainable development, reducing carbon emissions, promoting reforestation and accelerating socio-environmental technologies.  

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We innovate in a collaborative and shared way, contributing to the sustainable development of our businesses and communities, generating a positive impact on society. 

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Stay on top of Vale's innovative initiatives

hydropower plant. There is a large, tall concrete structure in most of the image and water underneath.

Powershift

In search of clean sources, technology also helps in the energy issue. 
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Ecoshipping

It seeks to reduce our gap in relation to GHG emission targets. 
Desktop with two monitors on, two keyboards, and a phone in the middle.

Artificial Intelligence 

Center monitors initiatives that help from safety to sustainability. 
Two autonomous equipments operating close to a container.

In favor of safety 

Use of robots and drones avoids exposing employees to risks in operations. 
Image of an operating environment, where you can see two machines at work. The place is full of rocks.

Autonomous

Autonomous trucks, drills and yards are controlled by computerized systems, GPS and other technologies. 
Aerial photo of a Vale employee in the middle of a plantation.

Vale Fund 

Social and environmental impact businesses promote a fairer and more inclusive economy. 
Image of a shed with several machines. You can see some Vale employees, all wearing helmets.

Co-products 

Factory transforms tailings into products for civil construction. 
Aerial image of an outdoor operation, surrounded by vegetation. In the middle, you can see some structures, similar to sheds.

New products 

Development of new products, such as briquettes, sustainable sand and green cement.
Image of a Vale employee, wearing a helmet and protective gloves, walking down the stairs in the middle of an operation. The place has several metal equipment.

Technologies for mining 

Focus on business development brings benefits to mining. 
A researcher dressed in a green lab coat, goggles and gloves analyzes a test tube with pink liquid.

Genome Project 

Vale Institute of Technology conducts COVID genome sequencing study. 
Large metal sphere hanging in an underground location.

Snolab

The deepest and cleanest laboratory in the world, located at the Creighton mine in Canada. 
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Safety Transformation Program 

With global governance, it allows us to maximize the impact of actions on health and safety, using technology and innovation. The Program works primarily on the fronts of hazard identification and risk analysis (using data and AI for risk detection and prioritization of actions), Requirements for Performance in Critical Activities, and Occupational Exposure Limit - Accelerate the adoption of remote operation to remove / reduce the risk to people. 
Vale employee, standing in a room full of monitors. She is wearing a mask and a headset.

Photographer: Ricardo Teles

Innovation Hubs 

The Hubs are like a Vale innovation university developing the skills of the future in business. They can also be understood as: a lever of cultural transformation, through hands-on contact of employees with innovation initiatives and channels for transformation in operations, through which strategic initiatives can be implemented. 
In the foreground, there are two vases with germinating seeds, in the background a woman - holding the vases - smiles. She wears glasses and a small chain.

Photographer: Ricardo Teles

Two Vale employees, a bald man with a beard and a blond woman with straight hair, are in a control room, full of monitors. The man is standing, pointing at a screen and the woman is sitting, paying attention. Two Vale employees, a bald man with a beard and a blond woman with straight hair, are in a control room, full of monitors. The man is standing, pointing at a screen and the woman is sitting, paying attention.

Photographer: Ricardo Teles

Technology

Discover some of our projects, investments and partnerships and see how Vale is using innovation to develop new technologies, accelerate problem solving and create business opportunities for innovative startups. 

Open Innovation 

We believe that talent is beyond our walls and that collaboration can help us build new possibilities.

This accelerate the resolution of great challenges, generating shared value and driving powerful transformations. Therefore, we seek to encourage open innovation, a new way of learning together.
Vale employee, sitting with his back to the photo, remotely operating a piece of equipment. He is touching one of the two screens in front of him. In the background, you can see a large piece of machinery. Vale employee, sitting with his back to the photo, remotely operating a piece of equipment. He is touching one of the two screens in front of him. In the background, you can see a large piece of machinery. Photographer: Ricardo Teles
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How we put the topic into practice

Lives, co-labs, benchmarks, support in innovation events, participation in associations, hubs, federations and innovation entities. 
Mentoring, ideation programs, prototyping, acceleration with ecosystem partners, access to plants and operations, proof of concept and contracting. 
Support for investment rounds. 
Technological development, research, licensing, partnerships with companies, universities, research institutes, private and public educational institutions. 

Check out the opportunities to collaborate and co-create with us: 

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Charge on

BHP, Rio Tinto and Vale team up to launch mining's biggest challenge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in operations around the world.
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Mine 2.0 Program

After almost 6,000 applications, Vale starts the MINE Program in search of safer, more efficient and sustainable mining. 
Vale Train under an elevated railroad. All around is dense vegetation.

Connect Challenge

We will activate the open innovation ecosystem to bring connectivity infrastructure solutions to trains and stations.
Young man, wearing glasses, playing a musical instrument. He's wearing formal clothes.

Vale's Call for Bid

The culture public notice receives applications for projects in different cultural manifestations.
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Our awards 

See the Awards received by Vale in the Innovation area: 

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Innovation Value Award 2021

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Innovation Value Award 2020

Vale Employee smiling for a photo. She is wearing the green uniform, and in the background you can see tools hanging on the wall. Vale Employee smiling for a photo. She is wearing the green uniform, and in the background you can see tools hanging on the wall. Photographer: Ricardo Teles
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Vale now

Two men and a woman side by side with their hands crossed in front of their bodies.

Charging the mining industry into an electric future

Mining giants BHP, Rio Tinto and Vale are establishing a Mining Taskforce within CharIN, supported by the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM)

 
Visual wave artifact Vale
Green truck with writing 100% electric and Vale symbol

Vale is the first mining company to test 100% electric 72-ton trucks

Vehicles present one more step in the electrification of the company's assets, which has the goal of zero net carbon emissions by 2050

 
Visual wave artifact Vale
photo of a huge ship at sea

Vale advances a pioneering project to adopt low-carbon fuels in shipping

A pioneering project developed by the company resulting in a design to incorporate multi-fuel tanks on iron ore carriers has received an Approval in Principle (AIP) from the leading Classification Society DNV.

 
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Mountain of ore on top and a machine like an iron frame

Vale announces 'green briquette' capable of reducing CO2 emissions of steelmaking clients by up to 10%

The product also reduces emissions of particulates and gases such as sulphur dioxide (SOX) and nitrogen oxide (NOX), as well as eliminates the use of water in its production.

 
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autonomos1

Vale will start tests to implement autonomous operation in off-road trucks in Carajás

In November, Vale will begin the testing phase for the implementation of two autonomous off-road trucks at the Carajás mine.

 
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